Mechanistic Drifting Forecast Model for A Small Semi-Submersible Drifter Under Tide-Wind-Wave Conditions

Understanding the drifting motion of a small semi-submersible drifter is of vital importance regarding monitoring surface currents and the floating pollutants in coastal regions. This work addresses this issue by establishing a mechanistic drifting forecast model based on kinetic analysis. Taking tide-wind-wave into consideration, the forecast model is validated against in situ drifting experiment in the Radial Sand Ridges. Model results show good performance with respect to the measured drifting features, characterized by migrating back and forth twice a day with daily downwind displacements. Trajectory models are used to evaluate the influence of the individual hydrodynamic forcing. The tidal current is the fundamental dynamic condition in the Radial Sand Ridges and has the greatest impact on the drifting distance. However, it loses its leading position in the field of the daily displacement of the used drifter. The simulations reveal that different hydrodynamic forces dominate the daily displacement of the used drifter at different wind scales. The wave-induced mass transport has the greatest influence on the daily displacement at Beaufort wind scale 5-6; while wind drag contributes mostly at wind scale 2-4.     

Dynamic Analysis of A 5-MW Tripod Offshore Wind Turbine by Considering Fluid–Structure Interaction

Fixed offshore wind turbines usually have large underwater supporting structures.The fluid influences the dynamic characteristics of the structure system.The dynamic model of a 5-MW tripod offshore wind turbine considering the pile–soil system and fluid structure interaction(FSI) is established,and the structural modes in air and in water are obtained by use of ANSYS.By comparing low-order natural frequencies and mode shapes,the influence of sea water on the free vibration characteristics of offshore wind turbine is analyzed.On basis of the above work,seismic responses under excitation by El-Centro waves are calculated by the time-history analysis method.The results reveal that the dynamic responses such as the lateral displacement of the foundation and the section bending moment of the tubular piles increase substantially under the influence of the added-mass and hydrodynamic pressure of sea water.The method and conclusions presented in this paper can provide a theoretical reference for structure design and analysis of offshore wind turbines fixed in deep seawater.     

Numerical Prediction of Hydrodynamic Forces on A Ship Passing Through A Lock

While passing through a lock, a ship usually undergoes a steady forward motion at low speed. Owing to the size restriction of lock chamber, the shallow water and bank effects on the hydrodynamic forces acting on the ship may be remarkable, which may have an adverse effect on navigation safety. However, the complicated hydrodynamics is not yet fully understood. This paper focuses on the hydrodynamic forces acting on a ship passing through a lock. The unsteady viscous flow and hydrodynamic forces are calculated by applying an unsteady RANS code with a RNG k?ε turbulence model. User-defined function (UDF) is compiled to define the ship motion. Meanwhile, the grid regeneration is dealt with by using the dynamic mesh method and sliding interface technique. Numerical study is carried out for a bulk carrier ship passing through the Pierre Vandamme Lock in Zeebrugge at the model scale. The proposed method is validated by comparing the numerical results with the data of captive model tests. By analyzing the numerical results obtained at different speeds, water depths and eccentricities, the influences of speed, water depth and eccentricity on the hydrodynamic forces are illustrated. The numerical method proposed in this paper can qualitatively predict the ship-lock hydrodynamic interaction. It can provide certain guidance on the manoeuvring and control of ships passing through a lock.     

Numerical prediction of hydrodynamic forces on a ship passing through a lock

While passing through a lock, a ship usually undergoes a steady forward motion at low speed. Owing to the size restriction of lock chamber, the shallow water and bank effects on the hydrodynamic forces acting on the ship may be remarkable, which may have an adverse effect on navigation safety. However, the complicated hydrodynamics is not yet fully understood. This paper focuses on the hydrodynamic forces acting on a ship passing through a lock. The unsteady viscous flow and hydrodynamic forces are calculated by applying an unsteady RANS code with a RNG k-ε turbulence model. User-defined function(UDF) is compiled to define the ship motion. Meanwhile, the grid regeneration is dealt with by using the dynamic mesh method and sliding interface technique. Numerical study is carried out for a bulk carrier ship passing through the Pierre Vandamme Lock in Zeebrugge at the model scale. The proposed method is validated by comparing the numerical results with the data of captive model tests. By analyzing the numerical results obtained at different speeds, water depths and eccentricities, the influences of speed, water depth and eccentricity on the hydrodynamic forces are illustrated. The numerical method proposed in this paper can qualitatively predict the ship-lock hydrodynamic interaction. It can provide certain guidance on the manoeuvring and control of ships passing through a lock.     

Modeling residual circulation and stratification in Oujiang River estuary

A 3D,time-dependent,baroclinic,hydrodynamic and salinity model was implemented and applied to the Oujiang River estuarine system in the East China Sea.The model was driven by the forcing of tidal elevations along the open boundaries and freshwater inflows from the Oujiang River.The bottom friction coefficient and vertical eddy viscosity were adjusted to complete model calibration and verification in simulations.It is demonstrated that the model is capable of reproducing observed temporal variability in the water surface elevation and longitudinal velocity,presenting skill coefficient higher than 0.82.This model was then used to investigate the influence of freshwater discharge on residual current and salinity intrusion under different freshwater inflow conditions in the Oujiang River estuary.The model results reveal that the river channel presents a two-layer structure with flood currents near the bottom and ebb currents at the top layer in the region of seawater influenced on north shore under high river flow condition.The river discharge is a major factor affecting the salinity stratification in the estuarine system.The water exchange is mainly driven by the tidal forcing at the estuary mouth,except under high river flow conditions when the freshwater extends its influence from the river’s head to its mouth.     

Dynamic Analysis of A 5-MW Tripod Offshore Wind Turbine by Considering Fluid–Structure Interaction

Fixed offshore wind turbines usually have large underwater supporting structures. The fluid influences the dynamic characteristics of the structure system. The dynamic model of a 5-MW tripod offshore wind turbine considering the pile–soil system and fluid structure interaction (FSI) is established, and the structural modes in air and in water are obtained by use of ANSYS. By comparing low-order natural frequencies and mode shapes, the influence of sea water on the free vibration characteristics of offshore wind turbine is analyzed. On basis of the above work, seismic responses under excitation by El-Centro waves are calculated by the time-history analysis method. The results reveal that the dynamic responses such as the lateral displacement of the foundation and the section bending moment of the tubular piles increase substantially under the influence of the added-mass and hydrodynamic pressure of sea water. The method and conclusions presented in this paper can provide a theoretical reference for structure design and analysis of offshore wind turbines fixed in deep seawater.     

A three-dimensional coupled physical-biological model study in the spring of 1993 in the Bohai Sea of China

A three-dimensional (3-D) coupled physical and biological model was used to investigate the physical processes and their influence on the ecosystem dynamics of the Bohai Sea of China. The physical processes include M2 tide, time-varying wind forcing and river discharge. Wind records from 1 to 31 May in 1993 were selected to force the model. The biological model is based on a simple, nitrate and phosphate limited, lower trophic food web system. The simulated results showed that variation of residual currents forced by M2 tide, river discharge and time-varying wind had great impact on the distribution of phytoplankton biomass in the Laizhou Bay. High phytoplankton biomass appeared in the upwelling region. Numerical experiments based on the barotropic model and baroclinic model with no wind and water discharge were also conducted. Differences in the results by the baroclinic model and the barotropic model were significant: more patches appeared in the baroclinic model comparing with the barotropic model. And in the baroclinic model, the subsurface maximum phytoplankton biomass patches formed in the stratified water.     

Resistance of the diffusive boundary layer to salt release from saline sediments to freshwater

The diffusive boundary layer （DBL） is the zone for matter exchange between surface water and aquatic sediments. To elucidate the influence of DBL on salt release from saline sediments to freshwater, two experiments with or without wind blowing were conducted. According to the experiments, a 3.5 cm DBL is formed above the smoothed sediments at a steady wind field and this thickness is greater than other studies. The observed flux of salt through the DBL is 6% larger than the calculated value from Fick＇ s first law. The results indicate that molecular diffusion is the dominant mechanism for salt transport through the DBL. The presence of DBL suppresses the hydrodynamic enhancement for matter exchange between sediments and overlying water. Therefore, salts in the sediments of a polder reservoir may influence the water quality chronically.     

An evaluation of input/dissipation terms in WAVEWATCH Ⅲ using in situ and satellite significant wave height data in the South China Sea

A WAVEWATCH III version 3.14(WW3) wave model is used to evaluate input/dissipation source term packages WAM3, WAM4 and TC96 considering the effect of atmospheric instability. The comparisons of a significant wave height acquired from the model with different packages have been performed based on wave observation radar and HY-2 altimetry significant wave height data through five experiments in the South China Sea domain spanning latitudes of 0°–35°N and longitudes of 100°–135°E. The sensitivity of the wind speed correction parameter in the TC96 package also has been analyzed. From the results, the model is unable to dissipate the wave energy efficiently during a swell propagation with either source packages. It is found that TC96 formulation with the "effective wind speed" strategy performs better than WAM3 and WAM4 formulations. The wind speed correction parameter in the TC96 source package is very sensitive and needs to be calibrated and selected before the WW3 model can be applied to a specific region.     

Simulation of Typhoon Muifa using a mesoscale coupled atmosphere–ocean model

A mesoscale coupled atmosphere–ocean model has been developed based on the GRAPES(Global and Regional Assimilation and Prediction System) regional typhoon model(GRAPES_TYM) and ECOM-si(estuary, coast and ocean model(semi-implicit)). Coupling between the typhoon and ocean models was conducted by exchanging wind stress, heat, moisture fluxes, and sea surface temperatures(SSTs) using the coupler OASIS3.0. Numerical prediction experiments were run with and without coupling for the case of Typhoon Muifa in the western North Pacific. To investigate the impact of using more accurate SST information on the simulation of the track and the intensity of Typhoon Muifa, experiments were also conducted using increased SST resolution in the initial condition field of the control test. The results indicate that increasing SST resolution in the initial condition field somewhat improved the intensity forecast, and use of the coupled model improved the intensity forecast significantly, with mean absolute errors in maximum wind speed within 48 and 72 h reduced by 32% and 20%, respectively. Use of the coupled model also resulted in less pronounced over-prediction of the intensity of Typhoon Muifa by the GRAPES_TYM. Moreover, the effects of using the coupled model on the intensity varied throughout the different stages of the development of Muifa owing to changes in the oceanic mixed layer depth. The coupled model had pronounced effects during the later stage of Muifa but had no obvious effects during the earlier stage. The SSTs predicted by the coupled model decreased by about 5–6°C at most after the typhoon passed, in agreement with satellite data. Furthermore, based on analysis on the sea surface heat flux, wet static energy of the boundary layer, atmospheric temperature, and precipitation forecasted by the coupled model and the control test, the simulation results of this coupled atmosphere–ocean model can be considered to reasonably reflect the primary mechanisms underlying the interactions between tropical cyclones and oceans.     

Influence of Ice Size Parameter Variation on Hydrodynamic Performance of Podded Propulsor

During ice-breaking navigation, a massive amount of crushed ice blocks with different sizes is accumulated under the hull of an ice-going ship. This ice slides into the flow field in the forward side of the podded propulsor, affecting the surrounding flow field and aggravating the non-uniformity of the propeller wake. A pulsating load is formed on the propeller, which affects the hydrodynamic performance of the podded propulsor. To study the changes in the propeller hydrodynamic performance during the ice podded propulsor interaction, the overlapping grid technique is used to simulate the unsteady hydrodynamic performance of the podded propulsor at different propeller rotation angles and different ice block sizes. Hence, the hydrodynamic blade behavior during propeller rotation under the interaction between the ice and podded propulsor is discussed. The unsteady propeller loads and surrounding flow fields obtained for ice blocks with different sizes interacting with the podded propulsor are analyzed in detail. The variation in the hydrodynamic performance during the circular motion of a propeller and the influence of ice size variation on the propeller thrust and torque are determined. The calculation results have certain reference significance for experiment-based research, theoretical calculations and numerical simulation concerning ice podded propulsor interaction.     

基于高效统计模型预测9月北极航道沿线海冰范围

The rapid decrease in Arctic sea ice cover and thickness not only has a linkage with extreme weather in the midlatitudes but also brings more opportunities for Arctic shipping routes and polar resource exploration, both of which motivate us to further understand causes of sea-ice variations and to obtain more accurate estimates of seaice cover in the future. Here, a novel data-driven method, the causal effect networks algorithm, is applied to identify the direct precursors of September sea-ice extent covering the Northern Sea Route and Transpolar Sea Route at different lead times so that statistical models can be constructed for sea-ice prediction. The whole study area was also divided into two parts: the northern region covered by multiyear ice and the southern region covered by seasonal ice. The forecast models of September sea-ice extent in the whole study area(TSIE) and southern region(SSIE) at lead times of 1–4 months can explain over 65% and 79% of the variances, respectively,but the forecast skill of sea-ice extent in the northern region(NSIE) is limited at a lead time of 1 month. At lead times of 1–4 months, local sea-ice concentration and sea-ice thickness have a larger influence on September TSIE and SSIE than other teleconnection factors. When the lead time is more than 4 months, the surface meridional wind anomaly from northern Europe in the preceding autumn or early winter is dominant for September TSIE variations but is comparable to thermodynamic factors for NSIE and SSIE. We suggest that this study provides a complementary approach for predicting regional sea ice and is helpful in evaluating and improving climate models.     

Aerodynamic Simulation of A Containership to Evaluate Cargo Configuration Effect on Frontal Wind Loads

Fuel consumption has always been a matter of concern for ships propulsion. In this research we aim to develop computer models of several containership cargo stacking configurations and discuss an optimal configuration at a constant front wind speed. The paper presents the simulation results by using ANSYS CFX for a 1:4 scale Post-Panamax 9000 TEU containership. The ship is modelled in a cubic domain that contains unstructured mesh with details, in such a way that can demonstrate the influence of the container configuration on wind force. Also the numerical results are verified versus wind tunnel test data. An optimal stack configuration led to about 25% reduction in air resistance. It is proposed that in order to reduce the wind drag force and consequently reduce the fuel consumption and pollutant emissions, empty spaces between the cargo containers and unbalanced cargo distribution over the deck should be inhibited. Also, it is advised to make the cargo distribution on the most forward and aftward deck areas more streamlined.     

Vertical 2D Modeling of Free Surface Flow with Hydrodynamic Pressure Using SIMPLE Arithmetic in σ Coordinates

A numerical model for shallow water flow has been developed based on the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the hydrodynamic pressure instead of hydrostatic pressure assumption. The equations arc transformed into the a-coordinate system and the eddy viscosity is calculated with the standard k -ε turbulence model. The control volume method is used to discrete the equations, and the boundary conditions at the bed for shallow water models only include vertical diffusion terms expressed with wall functions. And the semi-implicit methed for pressure linked equation arithmetic is adopted to solve the equations. The model is applied to the 2D vertical plane flow of a current over two steep-sided trenches for which experiment data are available for comparison and good agreement is obtained. And the model is used to predicting the flow in a channel with a steep-sided submerged breakwater at the bottom, and the streamline is drawn.     

A three-dimensional model study on ocean dynamic response to traveling cyclone over the Huanghai Sea

On the basis of numerical simulation of the mean circulation and relevant thermal-salinity fields in June with a three-dimensional ocean model (ECOM-si), the model outputs are used as first guess of initial fields for numerical integration of the model equations and the numerical results are applied to investigating the dynamical responses of the Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea (HECS) in the course of a weak land-to-sea cyclone‘s passage over the Huanghai Sea on 15-16 June 1999. Predominance of the dynamic impact of cyclone over the thermal one in June in the HECS is justified using observations and model simulations.The cyclone and its surrounding weather system, i.e,, subtropical high ridge to its south could influence current and thermal fields in the Bohai Sea, the Huanghai Sea and the northern East China Sea even though the intensity of cyclone was rather weak. The response of oceanic currents to the wind stresses driven by the cyclone and its southern subtropical high were strongly characterized by the wind drift with its extent of equivalent scale of cyclone in the horizontal and of Ekman layer in the vertical. The sea response at a given site was closely related to the transient local wind speed and direction,especially was sensitive to the local wind direction,which is demonstrated at three points locating at the southern and western Huanghai Sea and the northern East China Sea. So the sea responses at locations differed considerably from one another. Current responded to the wind stress in a simple way:directly to the wind-driven current and subsequent gradient current and slope current, etc., whereas sea temperature responded to the wind stress in two ways: directly to the cyclone-induced cooling and indirectly to water movements both in the horizontal and the vertical by the cyclone‘ s wind stress. So the sea temperature variation under the influence of cyclone was more complicate than the current. The HECS in response to the cyclone and its ambient weather system was likely to be a fast process and such a response could last at least for more than 1d. Current increased with the duration of wind stress exerted on the surface and decreased with the increasing depth. Affected by the cyclone, the maximum sea surface temperature decreased by almost 1.6℃ during the 24h cyclone.     

渤海模型冰运动特征的现场观测研究

Sea ice drift is mainly controlled by ocean currents, local wind, and internal ice stress. Information on sea ice motion, especially in situ synchronous observation of an ice velocity, a current velocity, and a wind speed, is of great significance to identify ice drift characteristics. A sea ice substitute, the so-called "modelled ice", which is made by polypropylene material with a density similar to Bohai Sea ice, is used to complete a free drift experiment in the open sea. The trajectories of isolated modelled ice, currents and wind in the Bohai Sea during non-frozen and frozen periods are obtained. The results show that the currents play a major role while the wind plays a minor role in the free drift of isolated modelled ice when the wind is mild in the Bohai Sea. The modelled ice drift is significantly affected by the ocean current and wind based on the ice–current–wind relationship established by a multiple linear regression. The modelled ice velocity calculated by the multiple linear regression is close to that of the in situ observation, the magnitude of the error between the calculated and observed ice velocities is less than12.05%, and the velocity direction error is less than 6.21°. Thus, the ice velocity can be estimated based on the observed current velocity and wind speed when the in situ observed ice velocity is missing. And the modelled ice of same thickness with a smaller density is more sensitive to the current velocity and the wind speed changes. In addition, the modelled ice drift characteristics are shown to be close to those of the real sea ice, which indicates that the modelled ice can be used as a good substitute of real ice for in situ observation of the free ice drift in the open sea, which helps solve time availability, safety and logistics problems related to in situ observation on real ice.     

一个嵌套于MM5下的蒸发波导预报模式

Evaporation duct is an abnormal refractive phenomenon in the marine atmosphere boundary layer. It has been generally accepted that the evaporation duct prominently affects the performance of the electronic equipment over the sea because of its wide distribution and frequent occurrence. It has become a research focus of the navies all over the world. At present, the diagnostic models of the evaporation duct are all based on the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory, with only differences in the flux and character scale calculations in the surface layer. These models are applicable to the stationary and uniform open sea areas without considering the alongshore effect.This paper introduces the nonlinear factor av and the gust wind item wg into the Babin model, and thus extends the evaporation duct diagnostic model to the offshore area under extremely low wind speed. In addition, an evaporation duct prediction model is designed and coupled with the fifth generation mesoscale model(MM5).The tower observational data and radar data at the Pingtan island of Fujian Province on May 25–26, 2002 were used to validate the forecast results. The outputs of the prediction model agree with the observations from 0 to 48 h. The relative error of the predicted evaporation duct height is 19.3% and the prediction results are consistent with the radar detection.     

Experimental Study on New Multi-Column Tension-Leg-Type Floating Wind Turbine

Deep-water regions often have winds favorable for offshore wind turbines, and floating turbines currently show the greatest potential to exploit such winds. This work established proper scaling laws for model tests, which were then implemented in the construction of a model wind turbine with optimally designed blades. The aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, and elastic characteristics of the proposed new multi-column tension-leg-type floating wind turbine (WindStar TLP system) were explored in the wave tank testing of a 1:50 scale model at the State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Tests were conducted under conditions of still water, white noise waves, irregular waves, and combined wind, wave, and current loads. The results established the natural periods of the motion, damping, motion response amplitude operators, and tendon tensions of the WindStar TLP system under different environmental conditions, and thus could serve as a reference for further research.     

Heterogeneous tide-surge interaction during co-occurrence of tropical and extratropical cyclones in the radial sand ridges of the southern Yellow Sea

The Radial Sand Ridges(RSRs)area in the southern Yellow Sea are subject to tropical and extratropical cyclone activities frequently,in which the special geometry feature and moving stationary tidal system result in complex storm-induced hydrodynamic processes,especially the tide-surge interactions.We studied a rare weather event influenced simultaneously by an extratropical cyclone EX1410 and Typhoon Vongfong as an example to investigate the characteristics of storm surges,wave-surge,and tide-surge interaction in the RSRs area,and applied a high-resolution integrally-coupled ADCIRC+SWAN model,in which the meteorological forcing inputs are simulated by the WRF-ARW model.The model is validated by records from 4 tide gauges and 2 wave buoys along the Yellow Sea coast.Results show that the tide-surge interactions are of considerable regional heterogeneousness.The surge curves at Lüsi(in south RSRs)and Jianggang(in middle RSRs)have abrupt falls near the time of low tide,where the peak occurrence time of interaction residuals tend to shift towards the mid-ebb period.Significant increase of bed shear stress in shallow waters was proved the dominant factor to affect the tide-surge interaction in broad tidal flats of the RSRs area.Differently,the interaction pattern in the Xiyang Trough(in north RSRs),showed a unique rising in mid-flood period due to the phase advances of real surge waves in relatively deep waters.Therefore,we suggested to the local flood risk management that the tide-surge interaction tends to alleviate the flooding risk in the RSRs area around the time of high tide,but aggravate the risk on the rising tide in the Xiyang Trough and on the falling tide in large-scale tidal flats of the southem RSRs area.     

Influence of Gaps Between Multiple Floating Bodies on Wave Forces

The present study aims to give general hints about hydrodynamic interactions for water wavediffraction on a super large floating structure composed of a large number of box-shaped modules withmany small gaps in between.And meanwhile,it also aims to seek for an effective way to take the gap influ-ence into consideration without numerical difficulties existing in conventional methods.An asymptotic ma-tching technique is exploited by virtue of the smallness of gaps.Formal potential solutions are establishedfor the near field around the gap ends and the far field away from gap ends,respectively,and theunknowns in those solutions are uniquely determined by asymptotic matching.The eigen-function expan-sion method is used for the outer far field and a series of pulsating sources at each gap end is introduced tosimulate the gap influence.Strong hydrodynamic interaction is observed and a new resonant phenomenon,the mechanism of which differs absolutely from any known ones,is revealed in the present study.Sharppea